Basement Jaxx, 02 Brixton

Electronic duo Basement Jaxx are dedicated party animals. Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe have been bringing giddy smiles to people’s faces with their dance music for almost two decades now. You can get a slice of the action when they bring their act to The O2 Islington on December 7.

The pair cut their teeth on the opposite side of London: Brixton. It was there in the mid-‘90s that they made a name for themselves DJ-ing at a club night called (you guessed it) Basement Jaxx. Immersed in the underground house scene, their eclectic approach won them a lot of fans—and the club night became terribly popular.

On the strength of their partnership, Buxton and Ratcliffe started releasing albums in the late ‘90s, becoming almost synonymous with the early Noughties dance explosion. A lot oftheir songs from this period have become ubiquitous: if you haven’t heard Good Luck or Where’s Your Head At there’s a strong chance you are living under a rock. 

Breathe a sigh of relief, though: all this can be rectified by watching Bend it like Beckham. Or by catching Basement Jaxx spinning some tracks on December 7. Since their start as Brixton’s lords of the dance, they’ve incorporated an astonishing number of genres into their sound: house of course, but also disco, reggae, funk, soul. Everything is chopped up and then sped up. It promises to be an antic, bonkers night. Lace up your dancing shoes, do a few jumpin’ jaxx, and down a couple vodka-Redbulls: it’s gonna be a hell of a party. 

Ticket price: £30

Address and Map: 211 Stockwell Road, SW9 9S

Nearest tube: Brixton